About Board Candidates
A certain kind of person is required to be on a school board. They must be passionate for public education and want to improve the educational opportunities of their local community. They must also be willing and able to commit the time and energy required to serve as a board member of the public board. Additionally, they must have a wealth of experience in business and leadership skills to bring to the board and be able to contribute to the overall strategic planning process.
A board member must be able to draw on extensive experience in business. This includes the ability to comprehend complex financial and accounting processes as well as multitiered supply chains and a variety of strategic M&A deals as well as cybersecurity and risk management. The experience of a board member should be in the fast-moving consumer product industry or a similar field and with expertise in the field of technology and innovative thinking. A board member should have a wealth of experience in leadership within the enterprise in the form of CEO or another senior level executive of a large publicly-traded firm or in a similar position in the nonprofit sector or government.
The CEO, the independent board chairman and nom/gov chairman should agree on the qualifications, professional experiences and skills they’re looking for in a director candidate. Operating with this clarity of intent will ensure that the board has a good understanding of what “great” is for each position and an appreciation for how those traits will translate into contributions to the board’s management functions.